Join us for NYU Metro Center’s next installment of Brown@70 Pre-Conference Event Series, featuring a screening and discussion of a work-in-progress film by Epic Theatre Ensemble as well as a presentation by Professor Zoë Burkholder on her forthcoming NCSD paper, “The Impact of Brown v. Board of Education on Black Educators Outside of the South, 1934-1974.” REGISTER TODAY!

POLICY UPDATES

NCSD STAFF UPDATES

What We've Been Up to Recently

NCSD had a busy month supporting, participating in, and speaking at numerous events and panels.

We supported and participated in the Brown’s Promise “At the Intersection: School Funding & Desegregation” Community of Practice meeting. Don't miss their messaging webinar on April 9!

Director Gina Chirichigno and Professor Henry Tran led a session, "Increasing Access to Effective Educators: Leveraging ESSA for Integration & Educator Diversity," at NEA's National Leadership Summit.

Director Gina Chirichigno served on a panel, "History of Segregation and Inequality and the Impact of Critical Race Theory in Education" at Georgetown Law's 2024 MCRP Symposium.

Communications Manager Jenna Tomasello supported and participated in the UCLA Civil Rights Project Capitol Hill briefing: "A Civil Rights Agenda for the Next Quarter Century." Watch the recording.

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision declared that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” Seventy years later, communities and educational justice advocates continue to grapple with how to make the Court's decision a reality. What progress has been made, where have we fallen short or gotten stuck, and what is required to truly fulfill Brown’s promise of integration and educational equity?

To commemorate and build on this milestone anniversary, please join us on the evening of Thursday, May 2, 2024 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. Advocates, parents, educators, policymakers, and students will convene to examine perspectives on Brown's promise––both fulfilled and unfulfilled––and imagine how, together, we might build a collective vision for what truly integrated, equitable, and thriving schools look like.

The event will take place from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. and is hosted by The Century Foundation’s Bridges Collaborative, National Coalition on School Diversity, and American Institutes for Research. It will include a reception (with food and drinks provided), followed by programming and an opportunity to explore the museum’s galleries. Contact Gina Chirichigno at gchirichigno@prrac.org for more details.

BETWEEN THE LINES FILM AVAILABLE FOR BROWN PROGRAMMING

As we approach the 70th anniversary of Brown, we are excited to share that the film version of “Between the Lines,” a play we commissioned with the Poverty & Race Research Action Council, is now available on demand for free! The student-led production, created by Epic Theatre Ensemble, explores the connection between housing and school segregation (see the trailer here and an interview with the student playwrights here). For this important milestone anniversary, consider bringing this powerful 23-minute piece to your class, conference, or community. For access, and additional screening and performance options, contact Jenna Tomasello at jtomasello@prrac.org.

NCSD MEMBER UPDATES

Check out P.S. Weekly by The Bell, a new podcast that explores pressing issues facing students and teachers in New York City schools. The Bell's team of high school audio producers work alongside Chalkbeat New York's seasoned education reporters to tell stories, perspectives, and commentary you won't get anywhere else.

The first episode of P.S. Weekly focuses on one of this year’s biggest education stories in New York City: the arrival of thousands of migrant students. What challenges are these new students facing? And what are schools doing to support them? This student-reported episode explores these questions through conversations with students, educators, and a journalist who has been covering the issue.

New episodes air Wednesday mornings.

CROSS-MOVEMENT RESOURCES

• New research by New America, "Crossing the Line: Segregation and Resource Inequality Between America’s School Districts," shows just how deep the economic and racial divides created by district borders. The report analyzes segregation and resource inequality between neighboring school districts, featuring stories from affected, local communities. A related multimedia story provides a short-form, interactive presentation of national research findings and lays out what these divides mean in practice for school districts and communities. An interactive map also allows users to explore school districts, district boundaries, and key data points. Read the coverage in The 74: Interactive Map: Inside U.S. School Segregation by Race & Class.

• New research by Allison Roda et al, "Realizing the Solidarity Dividend: A New Story for Educational Leadership," uses Heather "McGhee’s zero sum vs. solidarity dividend framework to qualitatively examine a group of 42 leaders’ perceptions of school segregation on Long Island as well as how they imagined possible solutions."

• Check out Segregation Scholarships, a "digital, mini-documentary series that highlights the untold story of African Americans who traveled to the North in pursuit of advanced academic degrees when Southern graduate schools were white-only."

• ELA Call for Conference Proposals (Deadline April 1, 2024): "The Education Law Association (ELA) welcomes proposals for members and non-members to offer concurrent paper presentations, roundtable discussions, poster sessions, and panels at the 70th Annual Conference of the Education Law Association in Orlando, FL from November 6-9, 2024."

• HES Call for Proposals (Deadline April 8, 2024): The History of Education Society invites proposals for its annual conference, "Enduring Debates: Reexamining Historical Battles in Education as We Navigate Current Challenges," in Chicago, IL from November 7-10, 2024.

• Research RFP Opportunity (Deadline April 16, 2024): "The Russell Sage Foundation, in collaboration with the Hewlett, Spencer, and William T. Grant Foundations, seeks to support innovative research on the aftermath of the 2023 Supreme Court decision striking down race-conscious college and university admissions policies."

• EdFund Request for Proposals (Letters of Interest Due April 25, 2024): EdFund will "support new projects that answer the most pressing questions about how we fund our schools...[and] will award grants of $10-$100k with a goal of disbursing $700k into the field."

NEWS FROM ACROSS OUR COUNTRY

National -

• Opinion: In a new book, Breyer makes the case for setting originalism aside (Washington Post, March 22) - "'Reading the Constitution' is to better understand Breyer’s reluctance to leave, and thereby cede the field to proponents of textualism and originalism...Instead of plumbing historical practice in the college admissions case, they could have emphasized, as Breyer did in the school integration case, the 'basic objective of those who wrote the Equal Protection Clause': to 'forbid practices that lead to racial exclusion.'”

• The ‘Colorblindness’ Trap: How a Civil Rights Ideal Got Hijacked (New York Times Magazine, March 13) - "Nearly a decade after Brown v. Board, educational colorblindness stood as the law of the land, and yet no substantial school integration had occurred."

Alabama -

• Alabama House passes bill targeting school diversity programs (AFRO, March 11) - "Students, civil rights groups and others are decrying the March 7 passage of a controversial bill that would stymie diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in Alabama schools... It also prevents the teaching of coursework that promotes 'divisive concepts' in classrooms."



• Alabama’s Anti-DEI Bill Fits Nicely With Its History of School Segregation (Bloomberg, February 29) - "Alabama’s 'Black Belt' (the term for the area that was once home to many of the state’s plantations; many current Black residents are descended from former slaves and the area has some of the highest poverty rates in the state) attend schools that are more racially segregated now than they were in 1990."

Arkansas -

• High school teacher and students sue over Arkansas’ ban on critical race theory (Associated Press, March 25) - "The lawsuit by the teacher and students from Little Rock Central High School, site of the historic 1957 racial desegregation crisis, stems from the state’s decision last year that an Advanced Placement course on African American Studies would not count toward state credit."

• Desegregation suit legal fees approved Black students: Don’t end academy at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, March 18) - "Attorneys for Black students in the long-running federal Pulaski County school desegregation lawsuit are objecting to plans to end the Dr. Charles W. Donaldson Scholars Academy at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock."



• Arkansas Public Policy Panel: 60th Anniversary, Battling Disinformation (People's Action, March 12) - "The Arkansas Public Policy Panel celebrated its 60th anniversary...in a two-day symposium and gala to celebrate the organization’s founding in 1963 by a multiracial group of mothers who traveled the state, speaking in churches and to civic organizations, to help build acceptance for school integration and promote understanding among ethnic and religious groups."

• Judge Hickey takes school desegregation case under advisement (Sentinel-Record, March 5) - "U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey has taken a motion by the seven public school districts in Garland County for relief from a 1992 court-ordered desegregation plan under advisement after a hearing held Feb."
• Related: Judge to consider ending 1992 order

Connecticut -

• Fairfield must update racial imbalance plan by July, says CT school board (CT Insider, March 9) - "Connecticut State Board of Education ordered the Board of Education in Fairfield to amend its racial balance plan by July 3 to comply with a 1969 state law restricting public schools from exceeding 25 percent of the district-wide average of racial minority students. The law originates from General Assembly legislation meant to prevent segregation within Connecticut's school districts... but education experts have said the law is missing modern methods of school integration."

Florida -

• Florida ban on school diversity programs impacts students (Tampa Bay Times, March 14) - "Much of the debate over diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Florida’s universities, colleges and schools have centered on talking points. But for some students, the effect of eliminating the services and firing staff has been immediate and impactful."

Illinois -

• From the Space Race to a consent decree: the history of selective enrollment in Chicago schools (WBEZ Chicago, March 28) - "Selective admissions started out as a way to integrate Chicago’s schools. It became a highly competitive program the school board wants to de-emphasize."

Kansas -

• Spoken word choir holds first rehearsal for Brown v. Board performance (WIBW, March 11) - "A special choir for the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board Supreme Court case held its first rehearsal Monday night. ArtsConnect recruited Topekans to share their experiences during school integration in the Capital City...The ‘Spoken-Word Sound of Courage Operetta Choir’ is practicing for a May 24 performance at White Concert Hall."

Kentucky -

• New book looks at race, with a focus on Muhlenberg County (Leader-News, February 29) - "Stone tells the story of school integration in 1963, and the push-back in local media, and elections of Black people to offices around the county in the 1970s."

Maryland -

• Maryland students are being arrested for ‘school disruption.’ Advocates want the charge gone. (WYPR News, March 22) - "The present-day racial disparities of the school disruption charge echoes its history. At least 22 states—and many other towns and cities—have similar laws. And, like Maryland’s, most of them popped up in the 1960s, during the height of racial justice protests and school desegregation."

Minnesota -

• The Topline: Minnesota’s most segregated school districts (Minnesota Reformer, March 18) - "New America released a fascinating analysis of segregation among school districts. They focused on the borders between school districts: the lines that so often end up separating the haves from the have-nots...The report finds that three of the nation’s 100 starkest racial dividing lines, in terms of school district borders, are in Minnesota."



• Austin Public Schools racially identifiable schools update (ABC 6 News, March 11) - "Sumner Elementary School qualified as a racially identifiable school under the Minnesota School Desegregation/Integration rules. Now that status has been dropped because of what school leaders called a successful year."

New Jersey -

• How Segregated Is Your NJ School? See District Breakdown (Patch, March 25) - "More than 130 NJ school districts have at least 80 percent of students of one race, a Patch analysis found."

Tennessee -

• Tennessee’s A-F school letter grades reflect wealth of students’ families, analysis shows (Chattanooga Times Free Presss, March 23) - "As the Tennessee Department of Education sought input in the fall about what measures to include when giving public schools their first-ever A-F letter grades, educators from across the state issued a similar warning: A greater emphasis on student proficiency would result in grades that are largely a measure of poverty."

• Clinton desegregation book wins history award (Oak Ridge Today, March 7) - "A book about the desegregation of Clinton schools won the Tennessee History Book Award for 2023. The book is 'A Most Tolerant Little Town: The Explosive Beginning of School Desegregation.'"

Virginia -

• SPS begins rezoning conversations in an effort to achieve unitary status (Suffolk News-Herald, March 19) - "During the monthly meeting of the Suffolk Public Schools board meeting, discussions began regarding the rezoning of seven elementary schools for the 2025-26 school year. The discussion comes as part of ongoing efforts to achieve unitary status and remain in compliance with desegregation requirements set forth by the [U.S.] Department of Justice."

• Giles was the first county in Virginia to integrate its schools. Then it fired all the Black educators. (Cardinal News, March 7) - "Giles County may have been the first in the state to fully desegregate its schools, but it was hardly the first to start the process, nor the first to be considered “unitary,” or fully integrated."

“I intend to destroy segregation by positive and embracing methods...When my brothers try to draw a circle to exclude me, I shall draw a larger circle to include them.”

–Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray (1945)

Founded in 2009, the National Coalition on School Diversity is a cross-sector network of 50+ national civil rights organizations, university-based research centers, and state and local coalitions working to expand support for school integration. NCSD supports its members in designing, enacting, implementing, and uplifting PK-12 public school integration policies and practices so we may build cross-race/cross-class relationships, share power and resources, and co-create new realities.

NCSD MEMBERSHIP

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